


When the world was at war we kept dancing

by Ophelia2



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Fluff, Gun Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:48:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23619283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ophelia2/pseuds/Ophelia2
Summary: Only four big houses rules the gunrunning business in westeros: the starks in the north, the Martells in the south, the lannisters in king's landing and the cleganes in the westerlands.So what happens when sansa the beloved daughter of ned stark fall in love with a clegane?
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Bronn/Margaery Tyrell, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sandor Clegane & Sansa Stark, Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. the sun and the moon

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well in these difficult times.  
> This is an idea came to my mind recently and I wanted to share it with you, I hope you like it.  
> So tell me what you think and stay safe.  
> ❤️

* * *

* * *

Sansa smiled happily when she stood outside her balcony sipping her morning coffee and enjoying the sun rays warming her face and shoulders.

She was wearing one of her short cotton night gowns with thin straps and luckily summer came early this year in the north, usually it wasn't until mid June for the weather to get warm and to bring with it this delecious soft breeze that always made her feel cozy and sane.

She can hear her mother knocking on her brothers and sister doors to wake them up, announcing the beginning of every Monday morning, for Mondays are sacred to her mother "new beginning starts on Mondays" she always says and sansa always found it strangely confusing cause everyone hates Mondays. 

For an outsider, they were a dangerous family living in their ivory towers faraway in their big mansion "winterfell".

But they are awfully wrong, they are a simple family maybe as simple as one of those poor families in winter Town despite the family business.

She came to understand her father's will to continue his family's heritage for thousands of years, and especially preserving the family name and honor.

They were one of the greatest houses in westeros and her father is one of the biggest lords of the gunrunning game, it's like a mafia of some sort but her father always been the good one, for he refuses to sell to unknown dealers or for unknown purpose.

That's what he always believed in and made them believe.

It's just Robb for now for he was the eldest, bran and rickon still young and arya finishing her first year in college, enjoying her life to the fullest.

There's only two years between her and arya but it's like there's 10 years difference. They are as different as the sun and the moon, but maybe that's why they are so close and complete each other in a way other's can't.

But she can't deny that sometimes arya's attitude and bad manners irritates sansa to no end, and that's exactly what she feels when arya entered her bedroom without warning and slammed the door shut hard behind her, making sansa jump in her place nearly spilling her unfinished cup of coffee all over herself. 

"AARRYYAA!!!"

She shrieked annoyingly looking at her unbothered sister as she sat on one of the small patios chairs holding her own cup of coffee. 

"What!! You're awake ain't you" she looked at her raising a dark eyebrow and shrugging. 

Sansa pursed her lips tightly and looked back at her intently waiting for the cause of this early visit to her chamber. 

"so big sister, how you are enjoing your first days after graduation?"

Arya asked taking small sips from her coffee and looking at her with a gleam in her eyes, and sansa wanted to know what's running inside her sister's strange head. 

She moved and sat across from her looking at the sparkling small lake in their gods wood as their ansestors called it. 

She felt like a twinge of excitement run through her as she remembered that now she's officially a painter through and through. 

Her bedroom was always full with different sizes of canvas empty and finished, on the floor and on her painted walls. 

She always thought that her bedroom was like the room of barbie rapunzel with her magical painting brush. 

She even made a family portrait of the starks family in a huge canvas that was ordered specifically from one of the best carpenters in the north. 

She gave it to her parents on their 20th marriage anniversary and sansa knew from that day that her parents were proud of her and her talent.

They even hang it in the dining room behind their large dinner table and sansa felt like she owned the whole world with the way they cherished her handy work. 

And now she started to think of opening her own atelier here, but far from the crowded winter Town, maybe in torrehn's Square... But she decided to leave it to the end of summer.   
So she turned to her sister and answered her question. 

"well nothing changed honestly, it's the same for me and I'm happy about it" 

Arya rolled her eyes annoyingly and sansa huffed a long breath knowing what her sister is about to say. 

"sansa you're doing the exact same thing since when we were like toddlers, aren't you bored?" 

"NO I'm not. This is exactly how I want to spend my life. Drowned in my canvas like you always say" she wanted to finish this conversation quickly so she got to the end of it cause it's always the same stupid questions, and luckily as she turned back to look at her sister she found her chewing her bottom lip like contemplating something. 

"ok ok fine I'm not going through this with you for the millionth time but honestly I want you to celebrate your graduation, and I was thinking of some ideas how we're gonna do that...."   
Her sister blurted out suddenly and understanding came to sansa at that moment and she chuckled at her sister. 

"so that's what all this about, you want to go somewhere aaannnd you're going to drag me into this to celebrate my graduation you say "

Said sansa smirking at her sister that looked not pleased with sansa ruining her plans. 

"please sansa, please. I want to go to this camp so bad it's a huge event everyone in westeros is going to be there pleeaaasse" 

"ohh of course, everyone in westeros you say. It's too dangerous no, and don't even think about telling dad"

Sansa needed to stop her stupid sister from having these crazy ideas, it's like she's always searching for the danger and wanting to jump straight into it. 

She sat up and walked inside her room trying to avoid her sister but she followed her inside. 

"you know I'm not asking your pemession, I wanted your boring ass to have some fun but I was fucking wrong, and if you're not going to do this for me I will sneak out at night not even those stupid assholes outside will stop me, and You know I can do it" 

Sansa stood dumbfounded looking shocked at her sister's outburst.

She never insisted on something like that because father always let her go wherever she wants even beyond the wall, but sansa knew that this camp or whatever, is not up north or even close to the north, and that's why she knows her ways won't get her anyway, cause it's forbidden to go anywhere near the south especially king's landing. 

Sansa sighed heavily as she looked at her sister pacing angrily looking down like if she was searching for something, and sansa knew she's stubborn as a rock and will do exactly what she said. 

So maybe it's safer if sansa tried and they took a bodyguard with them, or maybe her father will say no all together so her sister will completely loose hope. 

So she calmed herself and turned back to her sister. 

"and where will this stupid camp take place?"

She asked suddenly rolling her eyes and her sister turned her head so fast that sansa feared she breaks her neck. 

" Oldstones " 

* * *

* * *


	2. gentleness

* * *

* * *

"you want to go where?"

 _Here we go_. Sansa thought, she knew that this is exactly how her father would look like after hearing arya's destination and he looked like his eyes are going to pop out from his head with how wide they got.

"the riverlands. Hmm... Precisely the old ruined castle"

"i know where and what oldstones is sansa"

Her dad snapped at her and she pursed her lips together, shutting her mouth. 

After arya announced where this music festival or camping festival... She didn't even have time to understand fully what is this event all about before arya started pushing her towards their father's solar, but they agreed that sansa will proceed with her polished manners and leave it to arya to continue and that's exactly what she's going to do as she gave her sister a pointed look to finish the mess she created.

"daddy, it's only riverrun. It's not like we're going all the way to dorne. Don't you think?"

She watched as arya walked around the desk and circled her father's neck from behind and pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek, giving him one of her manipulating looks. 

"NO. Too far arya, we can celebrate sansa here together. We can invite all the north and have a great party, isn't it a great idea sansa?"

She was about to nod at her father's wonderful idea actually, but arya shook her head violently behind him, mouthing a threatening no.

And sansa was trapped again.

"uh... I actually wanted to try something different this time dad. I really want to have this experience and we're going to take brienne with us. You know I won't risk anything without your consent or the right protection"

She finished nervously, praying to all the gods for this farce to end quickly. She looked up at her sister to find her waiting patiently for their father's answer as he stared deeply at a invisible spot on his desk. 

Finally and after a very long moment her father sighed and nodded at her.

Arya squealed excitedly squeezing him again, showing his cheeks with hurried kisses then hurried outside not even waiting for her.  
She smiled and thanked him and was about to leave the office when she heard him call her name.

"yes father" she answered quietly furrowing her brows in confusion.

"i know you're doing this for her, just be careful"

He said gently and sansa smiled at his kind face, she has the best father anyone can wish for.  
She blew him a kiss that he caught between his hands like they used to do when she was a child then left walking towards the great hall to see her mother, feeling light and happy.

She found her in the living room, sitting gracefully on the large couch reading what looks like a romantic novel with a dark muscular hero holding a beautiful girl between his strong arms, and sansa decided she must burrow it from her mother later.  
She walked around the white coffee table and sat next to her leaning into her to recline her head against her shoulder. 

"how is my lovely princess today?" her mother asked softly kissing the crown of her head then flipped the page of her book. 

"im fine my queen thank you" her mother chuckled lightly and sansa decided to tell her their plans for the weekend herself before she hear it from her father first, or they will have to convince a very stubborn catelyn this time. 

"uuh... Mom. I want to tell you something" 

She said carefully and straightened herself to better look at her, and she cleared her throat when her mother nodded, waiting for her to continue. 

"arya suggested we go to a music festival this weekend to celebrate my graduation and i liked the idea" She finished nervously and held her breath when her mother asked her about the location.  
When she told her everything she knew, she saw the worry in her eyes. 

"and what did your father say? Don't tell me you want me to convince him about this, cause it's not going to happen young lady"   
She told her calmly turning her head to continue reading. 

"No we talked to him and he agreed, we're going to take brienne with us. So are you fine with it?"   
Sansa asked carefully and watched as her mother put her book down and smiled warmly at her. 

"of course i am but you know how your sister can sometimes be reckless. And I trust that you're responsible enough to take care of both of you" 

She hugged her mother and promised her to be careful, then she headed back to her room and opened her laptop and started searching for this festival that arya didn't even bother to tell her anything about. 

She didn't notice time passing as she started reading articles, watching videos and photos that made sansa more and more intrigued by all the neon lights, the big stages for the concerts and especially the camp site situated near the blue fork of the trident. 

By the end of the day sansa found that she couldn't wait for the end of week to come. 

Little did she know what awaits her there. 

* * *

* * *


	3. Grey eyes

* * *

* * *

All sansa felt throughout their journey to oldstones was a guidy sensation of happiness and excitement.

They followed the festival schedule, so they took a flight to riverrun and now they were standing in the middle of a train station waiting for a man called podrick, the one that organised the event in the first place.

And it turns out there's like thousands of people young and old heading to the same destination, and sansa figured that the coming train was booked to take them all to oldstones mainly for the festival.

Arya was practically jumping in her place from excitement but sansa couldn't blame her, she felt herself overwhelmed with exhilaration.

She really missed the westerosy way of doing things, she spent four years in Volantis studying arts, visiting only for few weeks in the summer when it's unbearably hot there, and strange enough her father always made her feel like it's always safer in essos.   
So unlike arya who decided to stay in the north and study law in white harbor, so she can be close to home, sansa choose to fly away and try new cultures.  
And ever since she returned home two weeks ago she was feeling out of place, and needed to catch up with her best friend jeyne and many other things.

"... And this is my sister sansa..." 

She was so lost in her thoughts and didn't notice a young man with round and red cheeks standing next to her and talking to arya and brienne.

"nice to meet you..." she caught herself quickly after she heard her name and extended her hand to shake his hand.

"pod... I mean my name is podrick payne but you can call me pod"

Pod said with a wide smile and she couldn't but smile back at him, he seemed like a descent and kind human being.

He continued to talk about the festival's schedule and the small bungalows next to the blue fork that they were going to spend the three nights in until Monday morning, then about the concerts and bonefire that was going to take place the second night with an acoustic performance, and by the end of their conversation sansa was beaming with happiness, she couldn't wait for them to arrive and prepare themselves for tonight's first concert. 

She excused herself to buy a bottle of water from a stand in the corner and she was scrolling through her phone and laughing at rickon's funny messages, but suddenly she gasped loudly when she suddenly bumped into a solid wall. 

Except this wall carries a plastic cup of hot coffee, that burned sansa's hand when it spilled all over the man's chest, soaking his black thin Tshirt. 

"OH MY GOD!!! Im sorry... I'm so so sorry..."

She gasped even louder this time and covered her mouth with her hands when she heard the man's painful grunt and then looked up and up to see his face, and that's when her eyes widened in surprise. 

The man that was now standing in front of her is the tallest man sansa ever saw, with broad shoulders, long dark thick hair with a matching long beard AND a twisted burn scar on his left cheek and around his eye.   
At that moment, she forgot about all the mess she made and without controlling herself she started scanning his face. 

She stared deeply at the old scar that clearly goes all the way up to his scalp, there was a brow missing but other than that the man was strangely handsome in his own way, with his full chapped lips, concavy nose, his dark thick lashes and his eyes that were a whole other different story. 

_Grey eyes_ , she noticed. Grey like the northern sky on those familiar winter days that sansa spent watching while sitting in her balcony, sipping her hot tee and wrapped in her small soft blanket. 

They look like home. Gray and full of heat. 

And suddenly her brain started working again and she noticed that the man was pulling his Tshirt away from his skin and she was reminded at how hot the coffee was. 

She took a step forward and wanted to do something that she had no idea what, but she stopped when she noticed he was still looking down at her. 

"uh... Umm. I... I want to help you. How... How can I...." she stammered looking down nervously, the words caught in her throat. 

"i think you have done enough gawking at my face"

He snapped at her and sansa raised her head quickly to look at him, feeling shocked either because of his sudden outburst or the way his manly raspy voice send shivers all over her body. 

He huffed an annoyed heavy sigh then whithout giving her another glance walked passed her, pushing his duffle bag on his shoulders and walked towards a group of man and a girl that was facing away from her, but with a familiar highlithed brown hair.   
She watched as she grasped his tshirt feeling his soaked muscled chest as he clearly told them what happened and then he put down his bag and retrieved an other white tshirt and walked towards the station restrooms. 

Sansa sighed heavily, feeling a pang in her chest at what she had done, not only burning the man's chest but also gawking at him like a weirdo. 

She jurked suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find arya giving her a strange look. 

"what's wrong sansa?" arya asked her brows furrowing, clearly worried. 

She sighed and smiled reluctantly, not wanting to tell her sister about her stupidity.   
Arya opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped with the roaring sound of the train coming and sansa was beyond grateful. 

"c'mon, it's time" she announced putting her arm around arya as they walked towards brienne to get their luggage from the bunch. 

They stood on the platform waiting and suddenly sansa felt eyes watching her, and she turned her head to the right reflexively, finding the familiar grey eyes boring a hole into her, and sansa swallowed hard staring back at him. 

A moment passed as they held eachothers gazes, but when the train roared again and everyone pushed past her to get into it, sansa watched as the stranger gave her one last look before his friends pushed him forward getting him on the same train as them. 

* * *

* * *


	4. His name is sandor

* * *

* * *

It took them an hour to finally settle inside their small cabin with brienne and arya chitchatting about anything and everything, while sansa enjoyed the countryside of riverrun as they passed shiny golden wheat crops and all the different kinds of juicy summer fruits that made her mouth watering.

But even the sights in front of her and arya's loud laughter couldn't distract her mind from lingering to the man she met earlier.

Never happened before that a strange man she never met in her entire life left her feeling this way.

She doesn't even know why he intrigued her or why she's regretting the unfortunate small accident of the the stupid cup of coffee.  
And maybe just maybe, she thought of what could happen if they met in different circumstances.

_What if I dropped something and he helped me picking it from the floor and our hands touched..._   
_Or if I tripped and was about to fall but he catch me between his strong big arms...._

Her eyes widened at where her mind went suddenly and how dreamy she gets sometimes.

Life is not a movie and she knew that well, but why this particular stranger made her reviving her teenage phase fantasies. They didn't even held a descent conversation together, so what is it.

She sighed loudly making her sister and brienne turn to her suddenly but before they start bombarding her with questions, she excused herself to get something cold to drink, in hopes of freezing her brain so it stops thinking of a stranger with the most beautiful eyes sansa ever saw. 

She walked past a group of teenagers singing loudly and happily together, to another wagon that she saw had a coffee stand and vending machines earlier. 

And a moment later she arrived to her destination, and she was standing thinking what to get when a familiar high pitched scream erupted from behind her. 

"OH MY GOD!!! SANNSA STAARK" 

At that sansa turned quickly and to her utter surprise she found someone she didn't see for a very long time but it made her starting to squeal from happiness herself. 

"MARGAERY!!! Oh my... margaery, what are you doing here?" sansa exclaimed and asked her when margaery pulled her into a hug squeezing her hard. 

"i think the same thing you're doing here, and everyone inside this train at that" margaery answered as she held her hands, smiling cheerfully. 

"gods how I missed you margaery, tell me how you're fairing all this time. I haven't seen or heard from you since you came back here" 

Sansa asked feeling bad at how she was carried away with her studies and life matters that she forgot about the only friend she found while living in Volantis, her first year has been so hard but margaery made it so easy for her.   
But that didn't last for long as margaery failed her first year and returned to westeros, and sansa didn't hear from her again. 

"yes i know I'm sorry about that, I should have at least called you or something. You were all alone there and..." margaery started with a sad tone, clearly feeling ashamed but sansa cut her off quickly 

"No margaery don't be sorry. I should have done the same too but sometimes life gets hard for everyone, and that's OK. I'm sure this opportunity will bring us together again, don't you think" 

"ooh how I missed your wise words sansy. What about you come with me to my cabin, I came here with my friends, you know my childhood friends. I told you about them before, didn't I?" 

Sansa wanted to laugh at how she still the same margaery sansa always knew, bubbly and sweet. 

And like always she was overwhelmed with the amount of information margaery told her as they made their way towards her cabin and sansa told her everything in return. 

She learned that margaery is still studying interior design in her hometown next to her family and friends in the westerlands.

And by the time they arrived, she was telling sansa how she got engaged to a wealthy businessman and how it ended as fast as it begun, and sansa was about to ask her why but she walked inside and instantly started introducing her to her friends.

"... This is gendry sansa, aaand this maniac here is tormund" margaery introduced her as she sat across from them and sansa joined her smiling at the two man infront of her. 

The young man called gendry smiled softly nodding at her in greetings while tormund flashed her a toothy grin between his full ginger beard that made him seem trully maniac like margaery said.

"where's bron and sandor?" margaery asked furrowing her brows at her two friends, and sansa figured there's still two others missing.

"they're outside at the back smoking" tormund answered with slightly rough accent that made sansa turn her attention fully to him.

"your accent is familiar tormund. Are you from the north?" sansa asked when margaery finished her interrogation and at that his smile widened even more.

"the real North lass, from beyond the wall"

He answered her proudly and sansa couldn't but smile at how nostalgic and soft his eyes turned suddenly. 

She was about to ask him more about it when two man entered the cabin, making the space crowded and unbearably hot especially when sansa turned her head towards them.

Her heart started beating frantically in her chest as she looked at the same grey eyes she was thinking about from the moment she saw them.

She heard him curse under his breath but she didn't care, she just kept staring at him, her gaze roaming all over his body.

She wasn't thinking or cared about the others around them, she just couldn't but take her full of his long soft dark hair, his broad shoulders, his strong arms and hands, his muscled chest and abdomen that streched his tshirt...

"... sansa are you listening to me"

She snapped back from her wandering and turned quickly towards margaery to find her looking quizzically at her, so sansa cleared her throat nervously and tried to ignore the large figure that was roaming behind her, still feeling his eyes on her.

"... so this is bron and that's sandor over there"

Margaery said and after smiling at bron, sansa swollowed hard and turned towards sandor, her grey eyed stranger is named sandor.

 _What a beautiful name_ , she thought.

  
"nice to meet you sandor" she said finally. 

* * *

* * *


	5. Sansa stark

* * *

* * *

  
"Nice to meet you sandor"

That's all she said before quickly excusing herself and hurrying outside.  
And sandor stood at the door looking at her retreating form disappearing between the train's passengers.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he elbowed bron playfully pushing him from the way and he was suddenly graced with the same beautiful redheaded girl from earlier, and for an unknown reason she was sitting right infront of him next to margaery, and he stood there motionless staring dumbfounded at her.

It's not like he didn't take his full earlier when she bumped into him. No, completely the opposite.

Her light freckles and dark red lashes are stuck in his mind, and he's sure they will never leave it.

But no... Even weeks, months or years of staring at her beautiful blue eyes and her long flowing red hair can't make him take in all of her.

He had his share of redheads before but nothing like her. She has something very special, something that is entirely her.

And fuck if he knows what this thing is. 

_But God's, that horrified look on her face_. He thought bitterly, shaking his head and snapping back to reality. 

A sadistic reality that will make him suffer for the rest of his life. 

"from earth to sandor... Heelloo..." 

He didn't realise he forgot all about his friends sitting inside giving him baffled looks. 

"this is the same stupid girl that ruined my morning coffee" he announced grumpily slouching down next to margaery, trying his best to seem as nonchalant as possible. 

"No way, sansa!!!" margaery exclaimed, chuckling lightly but sandor was too distracted repeating the girl's name inside his head to hear what nonsense margaery was saying. 

Sansa... The sweetest thing he ever saw in his entire miserable life. 

"... Well she can bump into me anytime. She has the finest as..." 

"Shut up bron!! I'm not going to hear you talking about her like that" 

At that sandor's head snapped angrily towards bron, ready to give him an earful but luckily margaery saved him from making a fool of himself, and attracting uneeded attention. 

Damn it he didn't even speak two words with this sansa and now he's feeling overly jealous and protective of her. 

What the fuck is happening to him? 

"well the girl seems nice, I like her. Margaery tell her to join us when we arrive to the festival" 

_Well fuck me sideways._

"of course tormund. It has been so long since we saw each other, and I can't wait to catch up with her" margaery said excitement sparkling in her eyes and sandor rolled his eyes at her. 

"what do you think sandor?" he turned his head towards bron, to find him smirking knowingly at him.

Sandor ignored him but bron wasn't having any of it and opened his mouth to say some other snark remark, when tormund caught him off. 

"i noticed she has some of my accent you know" 

Tormund added nonchalantly and he felt margaery tense next to him. 

"yeah about that... She's from the north. Her... She... She's a stark" margaery blurted out the words finally and sandor froze in his place. 

This sansa... Is sansa stark. Ned stark's daughter. 

"what the fuck are you saying margaery? Does she know who I'm? Who we are?"

Sandor couldn't control himself this time making margaery flinch. 

"No sandor. She does not. And I'm not going to tell her anytime soon. I just want to be her friend again and you idiots are not going to ruin this. Do you hear me?"

Margaery sat up quickly, her face darkening suddenly and he always hated when she meets his anger with her own.

They locked eyes for a long minute as they stood infront of each other then she quickly pushed past him and outside not even giving him or the idiots next to him a second glance.

He stared at the perplexed eyes around him then sat back angrily, sliding open the window and pulling his cigarette box from his back pocket.

He shouldn't have come here.

  
This is all a mistake.

* * *

* * *


End file.
